TIGHT RESTRICTIONS

AUGUST 5, 2020 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • 3 Overly tight restrictions in Pennsylvania hampered ability to recover, according to policy analysis Review

By Dave Fidlin The Center Square

(The Center Square) –

The Pittsburgh region’s slow climb out of the economic fallout incurred by months long lockdowns amid COVID-19 precautions could have been lessened with fewer restrictions, a recent policy analysis states.

In the policy brief, researchers with the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, a conservative think tank, delved into the payroll jobs numbers within the Pittsburgh statistical metropolitan area for the month of May.

Within the snapshot in time, overall numbers were on the mend from the April figures – when widespread lockdowns forced all nonessential ry Krasner on Monday announced Attempted Murder and related charges against Christopher Linder (DOB: 4/14/1993) for his role in an incident on Saturday resulting in the shooting of 7-year-old Zamar Jones, who remains in serious condition. At least two additional people are wanted by Philadelphia Police for their roles in this tragedy; the public is asked to relay any information about them or this incident to law enforcement.

The District Attorney’s Office (DAO) has opened three criminal cases against Linder for his alleged attempt to murder businesses to close their doors amid government regulations.

In the jointly authored brief, Frank Gamrat, executive director of the Allegheny Institute, and Jake Haulk, president-emeritus, were critical of Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf’s policies in the initial months of the coronavirus and their impact on various areas of the state, including Pittsburgh.

“Despite a loosening of restrictions in May, with all counties in the (Pittsburgh) metro area being moved into the governor’s yellow phase by midmonth, ongoing dramatic job declines from pre-virus levels continued,” Gamrat and Haulk wrote.

As with most area of Pennsylvania and across the U.S., jobless claims in the Pittsburgh region an adult man; his role in an ensuing shootout involving others during which Jones, a child, was shot in the head; and his alleged theft of a vehicle as he fled the scene.

For his role in the alleged targeting of an adult man and shooting of Zamar Jones, Linder is charged with two counts each of Attempted Murder (F1), Aggravated Assault (F1), Simple Assault (M2), Recklessly Endangering Another Person (M2), Possessing an Instrument of Crime (M1), Obstruction of Justice (M2), Unsworn Falsification to Authorities (M2), Tampering with Evidence (M2), as well as Violations of the Uniform

declined between April and May – a trend that has continued in some areas of the U.S., depending on state’s specific mandates.

In the Pittsburgh area, there were 15 percent fewer payroll jobs in May in year-over-year comparisons. The month prior, there were 18 percent fewer payroll jobs in the same comps.

While all areas of the country are grappling with higher-than-average unemployment figures at an unprecedented time, Gamrat and Haulk said the numbers within Pittsburgh and other areas of Pennsylvania point to deeper issues that predate the coronavirus.

“The area’s economy has seen sluggish growth for the last few years and has been unable to keep up with national growth Firearms Act (VUFA) for unlawful possession, unlawful carrying, and unlicensed carrying. Linder has also been charged with Theft of a Motor Vehicle (F3) and Receiving Stolen Property (F3).

“I join Philadelphians across the city in expressing sadness and outrage that senseless gun violence has once again caused grievous injury to a child. Every kid deserves to live free of violence, harm, or fear. All children deserve an opportunity to develop and grow into healthy, happy adults. As long as our communities are flooded with firearms, and as long as the conditions exist that spur people to rates,” Gamrat and Haulk wrote. “The business-unfriendly, high-tax and regulatory environment in the state and area that was responsible for the pre-virus sluggish growth will also hamper the economy’s recovery.”

On a more granular level, Gamrat and Haulk also delved into different sectors of the Pittsburgh area’s economy. The job losses, whether temporary or permanent, were widespread, they wrote in the policy brief.

The so-called “eds and meds” category – accounting for such jobs as health care and social assistance – incurred a loss of 30,400 positions between May 2019 and May 2020. This category, according to Gamrat and Haulk’s analysis, accounted for a 79 percent of the overall pick them up with little care for their futures, these tragedies will occur,” District Attorney Krasner said. “We still can be the caring society we purport to be by taking meaningful action on gun safety, and by addressing the structural conditions that often underlie interpersonal violence – such as poverty, unemployment, and substance use disorder. My office’s Victim/Witness Unit is in touch with Zamar’s family and will be offering support for them during this terrible time. This case has been specially assigned to the joint Gun Crimes Strategies and Prevention Collaborative, as the search for additional jobless numbers within the Pittsburgh area in May.

“Part of this huge drop can be attributed to the governor’s orders to shut down non-essential medical practices, which included elective procedures at hospitals and outpatient centers,” Gamrat and Haulk wrote.

The new Allegheny Institute policy brief came on the heels of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s June jobs report.

According to the state agency, overall unemployment across Pennsylvania was 13 percent, as of June 30. In the report, state officials said 40 percent of the nonfarm jobs lost in March and April had recovered

District Attorney Krasner announces charges following shooting of 7-year-old in West Philly

District Attorney Lar

by the end of June. suspects continues.”

Members of the public who have information about the August 1st incident on the 200 block of North Simpson Street or the two suspects still at large are urged to contact Philadelphia Police by calling 911 or 215-686-TIPS (8477), where they can remain anonymous.

The DAO is a member of the PA Safety Alliance, a new statewide coalition of organizations committed to preventing and reducing gun violence in Pennsylvania, which ranks 5th in the nation for registered firearms and has the 3rd-highest firearm death rate among Northeastern states.

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Photos by Richard Guffanti: Woodland Ave Dam July 21, 2020

Portraiture continued from page 1 drawing.

“We research, you know,” Adachi said. “I look up their names and see what I can find about them. But I definitely keep my distance, because it’s a private matter.”

Elise Gaul, a grief counselor who holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, linked the desire to recognize death in nontraditional ways, like through art, with the remoteness of death brought by the particular conditions of the pandemic.

“Everybody’s looking for new ways to mark the loss, and maybe this is a part of that,” Gaul said, referring to the absence of funerals, hospice visitation, and memorial gatherings made impossible by COVID-19. “Grief is a layered process, and it often doesn’t have words. That’s why art is really useful.”

Gaul also related it to the

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feeling of numbness — and to a basic human need for empathy.

“I think there’s a sense of, you know, let’s talk about who this person was, what marks they made on other people and the planet, and why they mattered,” Gaul said. “And if we lose sight of that, we’re in trouble.”

Friedman said he hopes to continue and expand the project, possibly through a series of community work

Lanternfly continued from page 1 tains thirty to sixty eggs.” Ms. Niedermeier says that the egg masses can be found almost anywhere, such as patio furniture, the underside of barbeque grills, outdoor play toys, cars, trees, houses, trailers, and various other surfaces. They have a life span of a year and live through the winter only as eggs.

A study by Penn State economists estimates that the spotted lanternfly can cause more than three hundred million dollars in damage costs to the Pennsylvania economy. Their diet includes sap from more than 70 different plant species. A piercing-sucking mouthpart extrudes the fluid from the plant under siege. While the SLF is feeding, it exudes a sugary substance called honeydew, which attracts other insects such as bees and wasps. A danger posed by the honeydew substance is its accumulation leading to the growth of sooty mold or fungi that can engulf anything undershops to teach non-professional-artists how to draw portraits of their own to honor lost loved ones, and hopes to build a gallery of the portraits once the pandemic has passed.

As of July 18, the death toll brought by COVID-19 sat at around 1,660, ac

cording to data from the city Department of Public Health.

Friedman said he was driven to begin the project in part by a fear that he

neath its feeding site.

The Pennsylvania economy is at substantial risk from the SLF infestation because of the devastation to the plants favored in its diet. High on the list of plants preferred by this pest are grapevines, birch, walnut, maple, willow, black walnut, and other trees.

The threat to grapevines posed by the spotted lanternfly places the was becoming numb to what was going on around him.

“When I started the drawing project, I think there were about 1,279 Philadelphians who had died of the coronavirus,” Friedman said. “Now it’s getting up near 1,700. You know, these are not just numbers! This is real.”

Please email any questions or concerns about this story to: editor@philadelphianeighbors.com.

Pennsylvania wine grape production in jeopardy. The commonwealth currently ranks fifth in the nation in the production of wine grapes only behind California, Washington, New York, and Oregon. Of the fifty states, Pennsylvania is first in hardwood production. In maple syrup production in the United States, Pennsylvania ranks fifth in gallons produced.

continued on page 6

Pennsylvania to provide postage so voters can return mail-in ballots without stamp

By Dave Lemery | The Center Square

(The Center Square) –

The administration of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf revealed Friday that it will pay to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with every ballot it mails to voters this year in the interest of boosting voter participation during the coronavirus pandemic. Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar announced the move, saying that anyone who applies for a mail-in ballot online, in person or by mail will also have the cost of mailing the ballot back paid for.

“Our goal is to make voting as accessible, safe, and easy for eligible voters as possible,” Boockvar said in a news release. “Mail-in or absentee voting with prepaid postage means Pennsylvanians can vote from the comfort of their own home, without having to make a trip to the post office to buy a stamp, during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The cost of the stamps

By Ad Crable, Bay Journal News Service

every three miles of streams and rivers in Pennsylvania has impaired water quality, according to a draft report detailing the state’s latest assessment. The number of impaired stream miles has grown by 5,568 miles since the last assessment two years ago.

Of the 85,146 miles of stream and rivers that have been tested, 25,468 miles failed to meet standards in at least one of four categories — water supplies, recreation, aquatic life or fish consumption. That’s 30% of all stream miles in the state.

One in every eight miles of streams and rivers are considered unsafe for recreation. In addition, nearly half of the acreage of public lakes in Pennsylvania have fish that are not to return the ballots was estimated at $2 million by the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus, which called it an unnecessary expense given that the U.S. Postal Service has already promised to deliver mailed ballots with or without postage.

“All Americans can vote for free by voting in-person at their polls, but in addition, the United States Postal Service has a long-standing policy of delivering ballots cast by mail in federal elections regardless of whether or not they have proper postage,” a caucus spokesperson said in a statement. “Instead of a narrowly tailored approach that considers the true costs of ensuring voting remains free to the voter, the Wolf Administration has once again taken the overbroad approach of carelessly [doling] out taxpayer dollars under the false pretense of solving a phantom problem.”

The Wolf administration, however, argued that many voters might be unaware of the Postal Service’s guarantee and thus safe to eat, according to the report.

The state is required under the federal Clean Water Act to conduct the assessment every other year and list restoration actions for approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The reports also help identify priorities for restoration.

The 2020 report reviews 1,700 more miles of streams than the last report did. It identifies the top three sources of water pollution leading to impairment as agricultural runoff (5,765 miles), abandoned mine runoff (5,559 miles) and stormwater (3,206 miles). On the plus side, 26 streams, rivers or lakes have been fully restored for aquatic life since 2016, according to the report. That includes the Conestoga River and various tributaries to the West Branch of the Susquehanmiss out on voting because they lack easy access to stamps.

Mail-in voting has become a fraught topic this election cycle as President Donald Trump has voiced concerns that ballot fraud could lead to incorrect results. One such case has already emerged after several individuals, including a city councilman, were arrested in Paterson, New Jersey, and accused of engaging in a voting fraud effort in that state’s primary election.

Supporters of mail-in voting say that absentee voting on a smaller scale has taken place for decades without any significant history of problems.

Dave Lemery

Regional Editor

Dave Lemery is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years of experience. He was the editor of Suburban Life Media when its flagship newspaper was named best weekly in Illinois, and he has worked at papers in South Carolina, Indiana, Idaho and New

Report: Nearly a third of PA waterways impaired

Nearly one of

York. na River — the largest tributary of the Bay. Twenty-eight of the streams in the state that are impaired for use by aquatic life have been made a top priority for restoration. Agriculture runoff is to blame for all but two of those, according to the assessment. One is impaired because of acid mine drainage and one from urban runoff. Approximately 99% of all streams and rivers in Pennsylvania have now been assessed. The impairment and assessment status of any stream can be found at https:// www.depgis.state.pa.us/ IRViewer2020/.

Ad Crable is a Bay Journal staff writer based in Pennsylvania. Contact him at 717-341-7270 or acrable@bayjournal.com. This article was originally published in the Bay Journal and was distributed by the Bay Journal News Service.

AUGUST 5, 2020 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • 5 Wolf Administration launches Pennsylvania violence data dashboard

Harrisburg,

PA – Governor Tom Wolf has announced that the Department of Health has launched a violence data dashboard to collect data on the scope, frequency, geography and populations affected by violence in Pennsylvania. The creation of the dashboard was a mandate in the governor›s 2019 Executive Order to Reduce Gun Violence.

“The executive order I signed last year included tangible actions to reduce gun violence in our commonwealth and this dashboard is one that under the leadership of the Department of Health will work collaboratively across multiple agencies to collect data we need to determine the scope, location and factors that contribute to gun violence in our state,” Gov. Wolf said. I encourage every Pennsylvanian to view the dashboard for information that can inform policies and initiatives in their own communities.”

The governor’s executive order set forth to establish a Violence Data Dashboard that will collect and provide data on the scope, frequency, locations, and populations affected by violence, including data on the number of victims of gun violence, rates at which gun violence occurs in locations, and contributory factors. The Department of Health will coordinate with and collect data from the Department of Human Services, Pennsylvania State Police, PCCD, and other commonwealth entities to populate the dashboard.

“Violence is a significant public health issue that affects many people each and every year,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “This dashboard will assist in providing information on the scope of violence in Pennsylvania, and the populations affected by it. Working alongside a number of state agencies, we are committed to taking steps to reduce the impact violence has on an individual’s health and way of life.”

Gun violence in the United States and within the commonwealth has resulted in the tragic loss of human life, with more than 1,600 individuals losing their life to a firearm death in Pennsylvania in 2018.

The violence data dashboard includes data looking at death cause and hospital discharge summary statistics. Hospital discharge data is from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). Data is also available by gender, race/ethnicity, age group and geography.

For more information on violence from a public health perspective, visit www.health.pa.gov or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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6 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • AUGUST 5, 2020 Lanternfly continued from page 4 Only three states produce more peaches than Pennsylvania. The prospect of increasing damage to these critical sectors of Pennsylvania’s economy is inescapable if the Spotted Lanternfly’s infestation goes unchecked.

The first confirmed observation of the Spotted Lanternfly was in Berks County in 2014. It is currently on a march to other parts of the commonwealth, leaving in its wake twenty-six counties under quarantine. Ms. Niedermeier says absent evidence to the contrary, it’s believed the SLF hitchhiked to Pennsylvania. Why it landed in Berks County is open to speculation. “It may have been somewhere else previously...You know it’s a global economy. We ship things, including pests that are invasive to other countries along with the goods and services we ship there and vice versa.” Although goods entering the United States are subject to inspection, which conceivably would prevent the introduction of an invasive species into the country, Ms. Niedermeier says there are not nearly enough inspectors to ensure every shipment undergoes inspection.

That the Spotted Lanternfly is undoubtedly here to stay is an accepted fact in the scientific community. Unfortunately, the only avenue open today to minimize the harm the SLF wreaks on our economy is through the implementation of measures to manage the SLF population.

Ms. Niedermeier says the SLF as it emerged in the United States is different from the SLF in its native lands. “They are behaving differently here in the United States then they do in their native [habitats].” This different behavior involves changes in diet, the absence of

parasites, and the loss of fear of the threat posed by predators.

A function of the Penn State Extension service in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is doing that. Scientists and technical staff in the Department of Entomology at the Extension service launched a program to inform and educate the public about the dangers presented by the infestation.

Moreover, in cooperation with scientists from countries native to the SLF, American scientists are searching for active control measures as explained by Ms. Niedermeier. “There are a couple of things that are being looked at. So, for example Spotted Lanternfly egg masses and nymphs have been collected from their native range to look for possible parasitoids, that can directly impact Spotted Lanternfly in a par

Robin Rick, Facilities and Landscape Manager at The Woodlands, leads a SLF scouting expedition for research to be conducted by Uyi Osariyekemwen, PhD, PSU Department of Entomology Post-Doc. Bernard Brown (Nature Writer) in background. Photo: Michelle Niedermeier

asitic way. There were two parasitoid species found and both of those are currently in a secure quarantine facility.” The research is looking at determining if these parasitoids can aid in managing the spotted lanternfly population in the United States.

Ms. Niedermeier’s advice to residents living in affected areas or to anyone who sees a Spotted Lanternfly is “avoid panicking.” The next step is to smash it, and if it’s egg masses, they should be scraped and placed in a container filled with alcohol (rubbing, hand sanitizer, mouth wash) to kill it or for preservation. Do not use pesticides or home remedies that could endanger pets or non-threatening animals or kill plants. You should also report the sighting to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (you may do this online). Alternatively, you may contact the Penn State Extension service at 1-888-4BADFLY (1-888- 422-3359). Competent staff is available to discuss safe science-based methods to eliminate the Spotted Lanternfly.

As noted earlier, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has issued quarantine orders for twenty-six Pennsylvania counties. The quarantine requires residents and businesses to obtain permits under the following conditions:

“This quarantine requires all businesses and organizations moving within or from the quarantine zone in the course of their work to obtain permits issued by PDA.”

To obtain a list of the Pennsylvania counties under quarantine, you may access the complete list on the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture website.

For more information, you may contact Ms. Michelle Niedermierer via email at mxn14@psu.edu.

To contact Marc Holmes III: @MHolmesIII

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